This is the 5th book in Hurwitz' Orphan X series.  Evan Smoak is Orphan X, plucked from an orphanage at age 12 and trained to be a talented, if not the best, agent for an off-the-books government agency.  He managed to break free of the agency and become The Nowhere Man, helping those in dire need and only asking that they pass along his phone number to the next person who needs his help.  And the next person to call is Max Merriweather.  When Max’s cousin is killed, he left him an envelope that contains nothing except a key.  But someone is after that key, and will go to any means necessary to get it back.  Evan is able to save Max from the initial threat, but that is not the end of the line as another and another threat arise.  As The Nowhere Man peels back each layer, he finds himself in even greater danger than before.  Another page turning edition in this series.  Hurwitz is right up there with the better thriller writers of today.  My thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review the ARC of this novel.

Hurwitz has done it again with his <i>Orphan X</i> series.  The Nowhere Man takes on what may be his last case in a down on your luck, working man who is sucked into a large cover up after being asked to hold onto some incriminating data.  I like how Hurwitz ratchets up the tension in this one.  Every time X thinks he's got all the bad guys, he finds out there's another ring of bad guys above that one.  I also like his interaction with Joey.  I like seeing Evan become more human, and curious to find out what a normal life would be like.  While this feels like it could be the end of the <i>Orphan X</i> series, Hurwitz does leave a door open for further adventures.  I would love to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for a copy of Into the Fire by Gregg Hurwitz.  Evan Smoke has decided this mission will be his last, but it is the mission that just won't end.  Just when Evan believes he has taken care of the "bad guys" more appear...how high does the deceit go?  Helped out by Joey, Evan is determined to finish this one last case.

This book shows Evan as more human then in previous books.  He gets beat up, gets a concussion, and isn't as perfect as we are used to seeing him.  It was nice to see the character be more vulnerable.  This was a great addition to the Orphan X series and was the same fast paced, page turning thriller as the previous books in the series.  The very last page in the book was shocking...in a good way.  

I highly recommend this book, and the Orphan X series to anyone looking for a good page turner!

Amazing, amazing, amazing!  The 5th book in the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz does not disappoint.  The premise of Into the Fire is Evan Smoak (Orphan X), once again, takes a phone call as The Nowhere Man to help Max Meriweather.  Max is at the end of his rope. His cousin has been brutally murdered, leaving Max an envelope that contains nothing but a mysterious key. However, someone really wants that key, badly enough that Max – and anyone he turns to – is in deadly danger. What seems like a simple job for The Nowhere Man turns out to be anything but. Behind every threat he takes out, a deadlier one emerges and Evan Smoak must put himself in greater danger than ever before as he heads once more Into The Fire.

Into the FIre also brings back book favorites, Joey, Mia, and Peter.  I love reading the Orphan X series.  They contain great action, but also unexpected humor.  Evan Smoak is a complicated man with a remarkable and deadly set of skills.  The way Gregg Hurwitz continues to creatively come up with ways to get X out of the situations he ends up in is remarkable.  

I mourn the day the Orphan X series is finished, but the good news is Into the Fire leaves it open for another book.  I can only hope.

I received an advanced reader copy of Into The Fire in exchange for a honest review.

The Nowhere Man wants a change in his life and is planning to take on one more call for help. Max Merriweather's life has been full of disappointments. His life upended when his forensic accountant cousin Grant is brutally murdered. Max's promise to deliver Grant's envelope to a reporter goes awry when he finds her murdered and his apartment is ransacked by a scary man called The Terror.

At first, Evan easily finds the men who are after Max and executes a plan to keep him safe. But it seems like Evan has chopped off the head of a hydra and more threats keep coming to kill Max. Injured by a concussion, Evan needs the help of his genius hacker friend Joey Morales and gunsmith Tommy Stojack to infiltrate a city jail to kill the businessman behind the complex money laundering scheme that Grant and Max had uncovered. Evan thinks the threats are over until he and Max uncover another sinister layer of evil and greed with tentacles across all levels of the Los Angeles government. And their leader has set their sights upon two of Evan's dearest people: District Attorney Mia and her young son.

This was another thrilling read with an unexpected cliffhanger ending for Evan.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I have read every one of the books in this series and I love them all. This one doesn't disappoint either. 

Evan is Orphan X, and he tries to help those who reach out to him. His methods are unorthodox and quite often brutal but he is doing good at the end of the day. He is part MacGyver with the stuff he makes and figures out, this is my favourite part of the book(s). He also has a good team of people he can rely on to get him the equipment or information that he needs to resolve the problems of his latest client. I have to say though, there were times when I swear my heart just stopped, wondering how on earth he was going to get out of his current situation! I loved the relationship that he and Joey were building and the dog was adorable!

The ending of this book was a surprise....I am thinking there is another book in the works, somehow. Not a cliffhanger as such, just something unexpected. 

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I absolutely love this series.  Gets better everytime a new one comes out. Full of action and new characters that are believable.  Can not wait for the next installment

This is another non-stop action-packed book staring Orphan X, Evan Smoak. I don’t know how Gregg Hurwitz comes up with all this stuff, he has a wild imagination! These are exciting books and would be great movies as well.

I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but I will now.  This story moves at a fast pace and keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Evan will do anything to help others.  Including putting his own life at risk.  There are people that he cares about, but he doesn't let them know.  He is wondering if he will ever have any kind of a normal life.  He doesn't know what he would do.  When Max comes to him with a problem, he figures this is his last job.  Maybe he has done enough.  If this job doesn't kill him, he will retire.  I am thinking that this is the end for him, but then there is the phone call at the end.  Not sure if there will be more after this.  Good story.

4.5 stars

<b>Into the Fire</b> is an exhilarating ride from the first page to the last.  The 5th <i>(and possibly last?)</i> book in the Orphan X series finds Evan Smoak planning retirement for "The Nowhere Man".  A trained assassin with a conscience, Smoak is trying to make amends for the sins of his past.  As The Nowhere Man he helps those in desperate need of his special talents.  People whose troubles are so large it seems as if there is no way out.  Max Merriweather definitely fits the bill.  Tasked by his cousin to deliver a package upon his untimely death he walks into a world that's surely going to get him killed.  This is supposed to be Smoak's last case, just another tick on his checklist to say goodbye to a rogue life and settle into normalcy.  But every time he thinks he has saved the day another snake rears its ugly head.  Will Max Merriweather's troubles prove to be above even The Nowhere Man's paygrade?  

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Gregg Hurwitz for access to this book.</i>

Action, adventure, violence, humor: all rolled into one terrific story.

Have you met the Nowhere Man? As Orphan X, he carried out all sorts of government-sanctioned deep-cover assassinations. Then he went rogue and walked away from all that, and began trying to live an ordinary life as Evan Smoak, importer of industrial cleaning supplies, with a condo penthouse in the Castle Heights Residential Tower in LA. But secretly, he has been doing penance for all the evil he'd done in the past by working as the Nowhere Man and risking his life to help others who are in dire circumstances...again, and again, and again. 

Now Evan believes he's done enough to pay his physic debt and hungers for the things he's missed in life--a normal life including a wife, children, a home. So this will be his last mission...

I received an email from Gregg Hurwitz in which he described the plot as similar to the old childhood rhyme of The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly: each time Evan thinks he has defeated the villain in his latest case, a bigger, more powerful head springs up. A game of Whack the Evil Mole. 

This is a very intense and violent thriller, with edge-of-your-seat action. What sets it apart from others of its kind are the laugh-out-loud moments: like when Evan has to deal with the HOA in his condo building--it's his turn to bring 'nibbles' to the meeting. Nibbles?? All he's got in the pantry are olives to go along with his vodka. Or when a dog and teenaged girl invade his home and mess up his perfect obsessive-compulsive environment. Arghhhh!

Unlike other GR reviewers, I don't believe this is the end of the series...Or is that just wishful thinking on my part? A tantalizing ending leads me to hope. 

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I honestly enjoy these books sooo much and highly recommend the series to those who love action and adventure! But do start with book one.

I know these books are crazy outlandish, but if you are looking for a thriller, I think they are awesome! Completely unrealistic but I’m always cheering for our hero Evan to save the day, yet again.

This book in particular would seem like it was wrapping all the loose ends and coming to a conclusion many times before the ending. Others may find this frustrating but it just added to my anticipation. Highly recommend!

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of this series know that Evan Smoak, the infamous Orphan X who was trained as an assassin, now uses his considerable powers (and money) for good.  They also know that this is going to be a complicated tale with multiple threads, that Evan has (despite his protestations) a big heart, and that he will root out corruption.  It's also perfectly accessible as a standalone, and know that you will be hooked.  In this latest installment, Max comes to him when his cousin Greg is tortured and murdered as a result of something he's discovered as an accountant.  What unravels includes a fascinating look at the Armenian mob, an trip inside a jail, what it's like to function with a concussion, and interesting info about tech stuff (and guns).  Evan also finds himself helping an elderly woman, an injured puppy, and Joey, the 16 year old hacker genius he rescued from the Orphan program.  It's impossible to write a synopsis - there's too much.   Yes it's violent and yes it might be a bit over the top or even implausible in spots but you gotta love a guy who plucks basil off his living wall to add to his vodka before lying down in his floating bed.  This is more complex (and rewarding in its way) series than Jack Reacher and some of the others in this genre. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.  I'm very much hoping the last sentence means there will be more.  It's a terrific page turner.  Two thumbs up!

The Nowhere Man Evan Smoak is needed again. This time he has decided it's his final job before retiring. When Max Merriweather needs Evan's help it seems like a simple enough gig. But it spirals out and gets bigger than Evan or his protege Joey ever imagined. The result is pure adrenaline-fueled action.
In this book we encounter a new Evan. His fondness for Joey. His affection for suffering animals. He is not familiar with common human emotions and how people behave in relationships. He does not know what he is if he is not the Nowhere Man or Orphan X. But he wants to find out.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I understand Evan's predicament. The need to be part of society and bond with people. And I also want him to get all that. But I also want more of these exciting books. And judging from the ending, there just might be one more book after this. Fingers crossed!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book.

Evan Smoak wants a normal life and vows this will be his last adventure. If that turns out to be true, I will be one sad reader, and it does look like this is the case. Orphan X, the Nowhere Man, and Evan may be one and the same person, but each displays somewhat different character traits. All of them live by a strict, almost OCD, code.

To say that INTO THE FIRE is a page-turner would be more than an understatement. As is always the case, it all starts with a phone call answered with the words "do you need my help?" I had mixed feelings about the beneficiary of the aid; he seemed too needy, too wanting. In other words, once the fateful question was asked, this book went in a somewhat different direction than did the four preceding it.

The writing in this book, and the entire series, is excellent. The story lines leave nothing to be desired. The amount of detail is perfect for putting a movie of the adrenalin fueled action scenes in your mind's eye while raising your blood pressure, evoking real fear, and maybe producing a tear or two.

There are two real-world things in this book: a phone number and an email address. I called 1-855-2-NOWHERE on my iPhone. The call does not connect, just a blip and back to the dialer. It was very black ops. I sent an email to the.nowhere.man@gmail.com with the subject simply Testing. It didn't bounce, so I'm guessing it is a real email address.

If this is truly the end, I am sorry to see X go, and I wish him well in attaining his next goal. I have so relished Gregg Hurwitz's writing that I'm going to have to find more books he has written.

This is the fifth book in the Orphan X series.  The series features the character of Evan Smoak, who was trained by the government since the age of 12 to do it's bidding, but now works as The Nowhere Man, helping others who have no one else to turn to.  In this book Evan is called upon to help Max, whose successful cousin gave him an envelope to deliver to a journalist in case of the his death.  When the man is killed as well as the journalist, Max finds Evan's number and asks for help.  This is a great recommendation for fans of Lee Child or David Baldacci type books, but I highly recommend starting with the first one 'Orphan X'.  If you have not yet discovered the fun of reading this series you are missing out.

Ready yourself for a thrilling roller coaster ride. Is all the action totally believable? Really, when you are reading a story as well-told and riveting as this one, who cares? Just give yourself over to the story. Once known as Orphan X, a member of a super secret government trained assassin program, Evan Smoak has been operating as the Nowhere Man, a last resort for someone whose troubles appear insurmountable. And after this last case, he intends to hang up his RoamZone phone, put down all his fancy artillery and move into a new chapter of, perhaps, normal life. But first, Max Merriweather, a man given up on his life, is thrown into an untenable and life threatening situation by his cousin. As the Nowhere Man nullifies each threat, another one, even more insidious, pops up. Will he be able to finish this case and move on? And what will that new life look like? As I read the last few pages, I was wistful imaging this series was ending. But there is a shocker on the last page...who knows what that will mean.  Highly recommended for anyone who loves a propulsive thriller.

This is a 4.5 rounded to a five star. I have loved the character of Orphan X, aka the Nowhere Man, aka Evan Smoak. It is bittersweet to think this may be the end of the series. In perhaps his last and most challenging and final mission, Orphan X receives a call from Max Merriweather. Max’s cousin is murdered and weeks before his death he gave Max an envelope with specific instructions if something happens to him. When the body count starts to rise, Max finds himself in possession of the mysterious phone number for the Nowhere Man. Evan vows to keep Max safe and in exchange he will give himself the freedom to walk away from taking calls as the Nowhere Man. This is a case like no other; however, with villains that just keep multiplying, Evan may  have bitten off more than he can chew this time. Filled with high drama, bad ass asskickery and a complex storyline, it is filled with everything that has made the Orphan X novels so much fun. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Gregg Hurwitz's Evan Smoak is Jason Bourne meets James Bond meets Batman. The Orphan X series is a fast paced, action packed, spy novel thrill ride starring a vigilante with a moral code. Into the Fire is no exception. I found myself pulled back into the world of Evan Smoak and the Nowhere Man from the first pages of Into the Fire. Hurwitz has a talent for making his characters relatable and sympathetic and ensuring the reader is heavily investigated in the outcome of Evan's exploits.

Evan finds himself contemplating retirement and deciding that this will be his one last case. Max Merriweather has found himself in way over his head. His cousin Grant gave him an envelope with instructions to follow in case any harm should come to him. Now Grant has been murdered and Max has arrived home to a thug tossing his apartment. Ostracized from his family and with few resources, Max is desperate and calls The Nowhere Man for help. As Evan goes to work on Max's case, he begins to peel back the layers on a conspiracy that he won't be able to untangle on his own.

I highly recommend Into the Fire and the Orphan X series for fans of spy thrillers.

Fans of action/adventure and thrillers will certainly enjoy "Into the Fire", the latest installment in Gregg Hurwitz' Orphan X series.  Well-developed characters, diverse plot lines and lots of action.  Evan Smoak's life seems to get more complicated with each adventure, and Hurwitz keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page!  
Long Live the Nowhere Man!